A POPULAR oil painting has gone on display again, following three months of restoration.

The Sleeping Beauty, by 19th Century Irish artist Daniel Maclise, is on view at Hartlepool Art Gallery, in Church Square, until September 30.

The picture, which was inspired by Grimm's fairy tales, depicts the handsome prince about to wake Sleeping Beauty with a kiss, breaking the spell and driving away the wicked fairy and her minions.

The painting was given to the town by William Creswell Gray, son of Sir William Gray, in 1920.

Last year, it topped the list of Hartlepool's top ten pictures in a poll of local people.

The painting has undergone work to restore its ornate frame, a process which included regilding using 100 sheets of gold leaf.

Ed Norton, Hartlepool Borough Council's exhibitions officer, said: "We all know that this is a wonderful painting - there is so much going on within it that the viewer can see something new in its detail on each visit.

"But I would also urge people to have a look at the restoration work recently carried out on the frame - it's an amazing transformation of Hartlepool's favourite work."

Hartlepool Art Gallery is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am until 5.30pm, and on Sunday, between 2pm and 5pm.